Endoscopy refers to looking inside a human body for medical reasons using an instrument called an endoscope. Endoscopy is a minimally invasive diagnostic medical procedure used to evaluate interior surfaces of an organ or other tissue by inserting a small tube into the body, often, but not necessarily, through a natural body opening of a patient or through a relatively small incision. Using the endoscope, a surgeon may view surface conditions of the organs or other tissue, including abnormal or diseased tissue such as lesions and other various surface conditions. The endoscope may have a rigid or a flexible tube and, in addition to providing an image for visual inspection and photography, the endoscope may be adapted and configured for taking biopsies, retrieving foreign objects, and introducing medical instruments to a tissue treatment region, referred to generally herein as a surgical site.
Laparoscopic surgery is a minimally invasive surgical technique in which operations are performed through small incisions (usually 0.5 cm to 1.5 cm) or keyholes, as compared to the larger incisions required in traditional open-type surgical procedures. Laparoscopic surgery includes operations within the abdominal or pelvic cavities, whereas keyhole surgery performed on the thoracic or chest cavity is called thoracoscopic surgery. Laparoscopic and thoracoscopic surgery belong to the broader field of endoscopy.
Various other kinds of surgery may be performed through small incisions or other natural orifices. For example, sealing tissue of a lumen wall may be achieved by applying electrosurgical energy to a lumen wall through use of electrosurgical jaws attached to a thin, long shaft of a surgical device. In other cases, injections may be applied to tissue within a small incision through a trocar attached to the long shaft of a surgical device. However, the small incision or opening may cause a lack of visibility into the surgical site. It may be desirable to provide various mechanisms for controlling and monitoring the medical instruments inserted through the small incisions or openings when performing surgery on a patient.